PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has thrown her weight behind the proposal for a divided downtown bus hub despite mounting opposition from businesses, riders and other stakeholders.
Raimondo in a Facebook live announcement on Thursday said the state was “moving forward” with the Providence Multi-Hub Bus System put forward by the R.I. Department of Transportation. The plan unveiled in July splits up the main bus depot into three hubs, keeping about one-quarter of the routes at Kennedy Plaza and adding destinations at the Providence Station and a new hub on Dyer Street at the edge of the Providence Innovation & Design District.
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Since being published in July, the proposal has been met with mounting opposition from a host of downtown businesses, residents and rider groups, who have criticized the plan for creating additional time and cost burdens on riders.
Raimondo, along with RIDOT Director Peter Alviti and R.I. Public Transit Authority CEO Scott Avedisian, emphasized that the plan has been revised “numerous times” to incorporate public feedback and concern, although exactly what changes have been made was not specified.
“I am confident the resulting final project will represent an improvement in the system, an improvement in transit, an improvement in resiliency … in our economy but also our environment,” Raimondo said.
Patricia Raub, coordinator for RI Transit Riders, which is among the critics, again reiterated the group’s opposition in a statement Thursday, describing the plan as a “major and harmful change” that is ignoring the will of the voters.” A $35 million bond for mass transit improvements that was approved by voters in 2014 will pay for part of the project.
John Flaherty, deputy director for Grow Smart Rhode Island, said the announcement Thursday did not change his organization’s concerns with the proposal, which he called a “flawed plan.”
“We all want the same thing,” Flaherty said. “We want a better transit system and an improved public space in Kennedy Plaza. Those are not mutually exclusive, but it seems like the city and state are committed to moving transit out of Kennedy Plaza, which is not only unnecessary but hurts the people currently riding transit.”
Lack of transparency and public input prior to the plan’s publication also proved to be a sore spot among critics. Alviti said the state remains committed to following state and federal regulations around public meetings and actively engaging with stakeholders.
Alviti also emphasized the benefits of the multi-hub plan in easing bus and pedestrian congestion around Kennedy Plaza while promoting economic development and increased ridership on the state’s public transit system.
While RIDOT and the R.I. Public Transit Authority are spearheading the bus hub redesign, Providence is taking the lead on redeveloping Kennedy Plaza. Mayor Jorge O. Elorza has said the city will hire London-based firm Arup Group, known for designing King’s Crossing in London, to help develop a plan for Greater Kennedy Plaza, including the adjacent Burnside Park, tunnels and skating rink.
Information about the cost of the Kennedy Plaza redesign, or the price to hire the consultant, was not immediately available.
(This story has been updated to include comments from Grow Smart Rhode Island Deputy Director John Flaherty.)
Nancy Lavin is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
